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Theme Six: Abu Bakr and ‘Umar will be the Leaders of the Middle Aged People in Jannat

 

Hereunder those narrations will be presented in which mention is made of Abu Bakr and ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhuma being the leaders of the middle aged people of Jannat, besides the Prophets ‘alayh al Salam. This privilege for them is just as the privilege enjoyed by Hassan and Hussain radiya Llahu ‘anhuma of them being the leaders of the youth of Jannat.

Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam has informed us of this great merit that they will hold in Jannat and ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu among many other Sahabah have conveyed this to us.

 

عن الشعبي عن الحارث عن علي عن النبي صلي الله عليه وسلم قال ابو بكر وعمر سيدا كهول الجنة من الأولين والأخرين ما خلا النبيين والمرسلين لا تخبرهما يا علي!

‘Ali is reported to have said, “Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, ‘Abu Bakr and ‘Umar will be the leaders of the middle aged people, those who preceded them and those who succeeded them, in Jannat, with the exception the Prophets and the Rasuls. Do not inform them, O ‘Ali!”^[1]

 

عن الزهري عن علي بن الحسين عن علي بن ابي طالب قال كنت مع رسول الله صلي الله عليه وسلم اذ طلع ابو بكر و عمر فقال رسول الله صلي الله عليه وسلم هذان سيدا كهول الجنة من الأولين والأخرين لا تخبرهما.

‘Ali narrates, “I was with Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam when Abu Bakr and ‘Umar emerged. He thus said, ‘These two men will be the leaders of the middle aged people, those who preceded them and those who succeeded them, in Jannat, with the exception the Prophets and the Rasuls. Do not inform them!’”^[2]

 

عن الحسن بن زيد بن حسن حدثني ابي عن ابيه عن علي رضي الله عنه قال كنت عند النبي صلي الله عليه وسلم فاقبل ابو بكر و عمر فقال هذان سيدا اكهول اهل الجنه من الأولين والأخرين الا النبيين والمرسلين لا تخبرهما يا علي.

‘Ali reports, “I was with Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam when Abu Bakr and ‘Umar happened to come. He thus remarked, ‘These two men will be the leaders of the middle aged people, those who preceded them and those who succeeded them, in Jannat, with the exception the Prophets and the Rasuls. Do not inform them, O ‘Ali!’”^[3]

 

عن الشعبي عن الحارث عن علي قال قال رسول الله صلي الله عليه وسلم: ابو بكر وعمر سيدا اكهول اهل الجنه من الأولين والأخرين الا النبيين والمرسلين لا تخبرهما يا علي ما داما حيين.

‘Ali is reported to have said that Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “Abu Bakr and ‘Umar will be the leaders of the middle aged people, those who preceded them and those who succeeded them, in Jannat, with the exception the Prophets and the Rasuls. Do not inform them, O ‘Ali as long as they are alive!”^[4]

 

قال حدثني علي بن أبي طالب إنه كان عند رسول الله صلي الله عليه وسلم جالسا ليس عنده غيره اذ أقبل أبو بكر وعمر فقال يا علي هذان سيدا اكهول اهل الجنه الا النبيين والمرسلين.

‘Ali narrates that he was in the presence of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and there was no one besides him when Abu Bakr and ‘Umar came. Thereupon Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “O ‘Ali! These two men will be the leaders of the middle aged people in Jannat, with the exception of the Prophets and the Rasuls.”^[5]

 

عن جعفر بن محمد عن أبيه عن جده عن علي بن أبي طالب قال بينما أنا عند رسول الله صلي الله عليه وسلم إذ طلع أبوبكر وعمر فقال يا علي هذان سيدا اكهول اهل الجنه ما خلا النبيين والمرسلين ممن مضي في سالف الدهر وممن بقي في غابره يا علي لا تخبرهما بمقالتي ما عاشا قال علي فلما ماتا حدثت الناس بذلك.

‘Ali reports, “Whilst I was in the presence of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam Abu Bakr and ‘Umar arrived, upon which Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam remarked, ‘These two men will be the leaders of the middle aged people in Jannat, those who have passed and those who are still to come in the future, with the exception the Prophets and the Rasuls. O ‘Ali! Do not inform them of this as long as they are living.’ ‘Ali says, “I informed the people about this after they had passed on.”^[6]

 

عن سليمان بن يزيد عن هرم عن علي قال كنت جالسا عند النبي صلي الله عليه وسلم وفخذه علي فخذي إذ طلع أبوبكر وعمر من مؤخر المسجد فنظر إليهما نظرا شديدا فصاعد نظره فيهما وصوب فالتفت إلي وقال والذي نفسي بيده إنهما لسيدا اكهول اهل الجنه من الأولين والأخرين الا النبيين والمرسلين.

‘Ali says, “I was sitting in the presence of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and his thighs were on my thighs when Abu Bakr and ‘Umar suddenly entered from the rear of the masjid. Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam gazed at them sharply and looked at them from top to bottom. He then turned towards me and remarked, ‘By the oath of the being in whose possession is my soul they are most certainly the leaders of the middle aged people in Jannat, those before them and those after them, besides the Prophets and Rasuls.’”^[7]

 

عن زر بن حبيش عن علي رضي الله عنه قال قال رسول الله صلي الله عليه وسلم: ابو بكر وعمر سيدا اكهول اهل الجنه من الأولين والأخرين الا النبيين والمرسلين لا تخبرهما يا علي ما عاشا.

‘Ali reports that Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “Abu Bakr and ‘Umar will be the leaders of the middle aged people in Jannat, those who preceded them and those who succeeded them, with the exception the Prophets and the Rasuls. Do not inform them, O ‘Ali, as long as long as they live.”^[8]

 

Note:-

This accolade of the Sheikhayn is reported from other Sahabah besides ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu as well:

1. In Tirmidhi under the chapter: Merits of Abu Bakr, a similar narration is narrated on the authority of Anas Ibn Malik and Ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhuma.
2. In Ibn Majah yet another narration of this nature has been narrated by Abu Juhayfah with an uninterrupted chain of transmission on p. 11 under the chapter: Virtues of Abu Bakr radiya Llahu ‘anhu.
3. And the consistent narration of Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhuma regarding the same appears in Tarikh Jurjan (p. 66).

 

I have alluded to them very briefly for the benefit of the scholars. My primary objective under this theme was to cite the narration narrated by ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu. Consequently I did not cite the narrations of any other Sahabi.

 

 

NEXT⇒ Theme Seven: ‘Ali Accepted the Narrations of Abu Bakr Without any Investigation

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^[1]  Tirmidhi, vol. 2: chapter regarding the merits of Abu Bakr

^[2]  Ibid.

^[3]  Musnad al Imam Ahmed: the uninterrupted narrations of ‘Ali.

^[4]  Sunan Ibn Majah: virtues of Abu Bakr radiya Llahu ‘anhu.

^[5]  Muwaddih Awham al Jam’ wa al Tafriq 2/178-179.

^[6]  Fada’il Abu Bakr al Siddiq, p. 7.

^[7]  Kanz al ‘Ummal 6/322.

^[8]  Kanz al ‘Ummal 6/322; 6/142.